Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914)

Charlie, dressed as a tramp for the first time, goes to a baby-cart race in Venice, California. He causes a great deal of trouble and confusion, both on off the track (getting in the way of... See full summary »

Director:

Henry Lehrman

Writer:

Henry Lehrman

Stars:

Charles Chaplin, Henry Lehrman

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charles Chaplin	...	Tramp
Henry Lehrman	...	Film Director

Storyline

Charlie, dressed as a tramp for the first time, goes to a baby-cart race in Venice, California. He causes a great deal of trouble and confusion, both on off the track (getting in the way of the cameraman) and on (interfering with the race). He succeeds in irritating both the participants and the public.

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Plot Keywords:

automobile racing | public domain | charlie chaplin | race car

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Genres:

Short | Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 February 1914 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Pest

Filming Locations:

Venice Pier, Ocean Walk Front at Washington Boulevard, Venice, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Keystone Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

11 min 6 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally released with a purchased educational short Olives and Their Oil.

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Connections

Featured in Star Power: The Creation of United Artists (1998)

User Reviews

Must be seen at least once

Kid Auto Races at Venice is far from Chaplin's best moment on film, but it might be his most important. In an early combination of the reality short subjects that dominated early cinema, and fictional comedy, this short piece features Chaplin as a tramp who annoys several camera crews at a car race.

As the first appearance of Chaplin's Tramp character, this film's place in movie history is secure. As a comedy, it's mildly amusing. Obviously ad libbed, it has an amateurish quality that holds up surprisingly well. It also provides a few thrills as Chaplin is nearly hit by the vehicles several times -- I doubt any of the near-misses were scripted!

There is no denying that this short film is not an example of Chaplin's best work on film, but every serious Chaplin fan, or cinema historian, needs to see it at least once.